Best car crate for Springer Spaniel

Making the switch from a harness to a crate is a smart move — the crash-test data really is sobering, and for a dog the size of a Springer, a harness offers very limited protection in a serious impact. Travel crates have quite specific requirements depending on whether you're using them in a car, in a plane cabin, or in the hold, and airline rules vary enormously, so getting the wrong crate can mean your dog simply can't travel. To point you in the right direction: what's your Springer's rough weight, is he or she on the leaner working type or the stockier show type, and is this purely for car travel or do you need it to double up for flying too?

Perfect, that's a really useful setup to work with. An 18kg lean working Springer in a large SUV boot is actually one of the easier configurations to get right. Before I point you to a specific crate, one quick question: are you planning to secure the crate itself to the car using straps or load anchors, or do you want a crate that's rigid enough to be used unsecured? Some of the best options work much better when fixed in place, while others are designed to absorb impact even when freestanding.

In that case, the crate I'd recommend is the Gundog specific aluminium dog cage from Saunders — but if you want the most rigorously tested option available in the UK right now, look at the Impact Dog Crates Collapsible Crate, specifically the Medium size. For a lean 18kg Springer it fits well, and it's one of the very few crates that has been independently crash-tested to meaningful automotive standards rather than just marketed as 'crash-safe'. The high-density aluminium shell and integrated floor panel mean it holds shape on impact rather than collapsing inward. Secured with your lashing points in a large boot, it performs significantly better than any harness in a frontal or rollover collision. It's available on Amazon UK and sits around £300-350 — not cheap, but you're essentially buying a safety cell rather than a travel accessory. Given you've already done the research on crash-test data, you'll know that's the price point where real protection starts.

For a lean working Springer at 18kg the Medium is the correct fit — Impact's sizing guidance puts the Medium at dogs up to around 22kg, and critically it's sized for the dog to stand, turn, and lie in a natural position, not to sprawl. In crash protection terms, a snugger fit is actually safer because there's less room for the dog to be thrown around inside the crate on impact. The Large would give her more room but takes up considerably more boot space and adds weight. Unless she's a particularly tall or long dog, I'd go Medium with confidence. Check her back length from collar to base of tail against the internal dimensions listed on the product page just to be certain — Impact publish those clearly.

That's the right call. Measure back length and shoulder height, compare against Impact's internal dimensions, and you should be good. One practical tip: when it arrives, leave it open in the house for a few days before putting her in it for a journey. Working Springers are generally adaptable but introducing it as a normal piece of furniture first makes the transition from harness much smoother. Good luck with her — she's going to be considerably safer.